"Someone's going to attack the village?" The village chief froze, clearly taken aback. At first, he looked doubtful. "Are you joking?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Noah's voice was sharp and urgent. "You know I've been here before. You also know I'm an S-Class wizard from my guild. Even if I tell everyone to take shelter and it turns out to be nothing, we'll only lose two or three hours. But what if I'm right? What if they really come?"
He pointed toward the dark horizon. "They're coming from that direction. Take everyone to the opposite side. I'll slow them down."
The village chief hesitated only a moment longer. The logic was undeniable if Noah's warning proved true and they did nothing, the consequences would be devastating. He hurried off to organize the evacuation.
Once outside, Noah's Thought Projection didn't head straight for the enemy. Instead, he ran to a small house and called out urgently,
"Erza! Open the door!"
After several shouts and a pause, footsteps approached. The door creaked open to reveal a little girl with short, crimson hair, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
"Brother Noah?" she mumbled. "What's going on this late at night?"
Grabbing her hand, Noah closed the door and pulled her along at a run. "Someone's planning to attack. It's not safe here anymore. We're going to find Simon and Kagura and get you all to safety."
They arrived at another home, and Noah banged on the door. "Simon! Kagura! Open up!"
Footsteps came quickly this time. Simon opened the door, his eyes widening when he saw Noah with Erza in tow. "What are you doing here so late?"
"There's an attack coming. You and Kagura need to follow me right now," Noah said without hesitation.
Simon blinked in disbelief. "An attack? Here? That's impossible!"
"What would I gain by lying to you?" Noah shot back. "Listen the village chief's already calling for an evacuation."
As if to confirm it, Simon heard the distant shouts of the chief urging people to take shelter. He rushed inside to wake his younger sister. Kagura emerged moments later, still half-asleep, trailing behind Simon with her head nodding drowsily.
"Simon, hold onto Kagura and don't let go," Noah ordered. "Follow the village chief and get to safety."
"What about you, Noah?" Erza and Simon asked at the same time.
Noah's gaze turned toward the direction of the oncoming black magic cultists. "I'm going to stop them."
Erza's eyes widened. "We can help you too!"
Simon's expression matched hers, his body tensing with the same determination. Both of them clearly wanted to stand and fight alongside Noah.
Noah gently patted Erza on the head, then looked at Simon and the others.
"I've taught you before, and you've trained under my guidance for a while. That means you can defend yourselves to a degree, but it doesn't mean you can take on a large group of trained mages.
Right now, I'm only here as a Thought Projection. That means I don't have my full strength or magic reserves. I have to save some magic power in case of emergencies, so I can't use high-cost spells. My plan is to stay mobile, strike when I can, and slow their advance until my main body or reinforcements arrive.
I've placed a mark on your left hands. If you're in danger, channel magic into it. If I lose track of you, the mark will guide me straight to your side.
Now go stay with the village chief. I'm heading to intercept the enemy."
He touched the backs of their left hands, leaving behind a small Fairy Tail emblem that glimmered faintly with magic. Without another word, Noah turned and sprinted toward the direction of the black magic cultists.
Erza instinctively took a step forward to follow, but Simon, pulling Kagura along, stopped her. "Come on. If we get to safety, Noah will have an easier time dealing with them."
Erza hesitated, then nodded and followed Simon and Kagura toward the evacuation point.
As Noah ran, his detection magic told him the three children were moving further away from him. He allowed himself a small smile. Good. They understand.
The cultists weren't far now. Noah slowed his breathing and began setting up traps.
When the first wave of black magic cult members entered the grove, the ground erupted in a chain of explosions. Several were thrown to the dirt, and a few lay groaning, too injured to rise.
"Who's there?!" the leader barked. "Who dares to ambush us? Do you not fear the great Dark Mage Zeref?!"
Noah stepped out from behind a tree, calm and silent. The leader's gaze flickered with murderous intent when he realized the figure before him was just a boy.
"It's only a brat!" the leader snarled. "Grab him! Our mission is to capture children, and this one's high-quality material. He'll fetch us a good reward!"
The shaken cultists hesitated, wary after the explosions. The leader cursed under his breath.
"Idiots! That blast was a one-time trap. There's no way a kid like him has a whole arsenal! Move!"
Encouraged by his words and the promise of reward the cultists surged forward.
Noah feigned panic, turning on his heel and sprinting toward the village.
The leader's eyes lit up as he saw the direction. "He's running straight toward the village! All of you, after him! When we get there, kill the adults and take every child!"
A chorus of roars followed his command.
Noah glanced over his shoulder, confirming the entire group was on his tail. He adjusted his pace, leading them exactly where he wanted.
Once every cultist had crossed into the marked area, he drew his sword and slammed the blade into the ground. Magic flared to life.
"Drink!"
BOOM!
The earth exploded in a thunderous blast.
A deafening explosion tore through the grove where the black magic cultists had been standing. In an instant, roaring flames lit up the night as if it were midday. The ground buckled and heaved, earth and stone ripping upward in a violent wave. Bodies were hurled high into the air before disappearing into the billowing smoke.
Seconds later, the cultists came crashing down, hitting the dirt with heavy thuds. Groans and pained shouts echoed all around.
Noah swept the area with his detection magic and let out a quiet sigh in his heart. This hidden magic trap really is something… Low magic cost, quick to set up, strong enough to do serious damage. It can be triggered automatically or manually… though its duration is short.
His brow furrowed slightly. But this world's physical toughness really is absurd. Not a single one of them died from that blast.
When I used Fairy Law earlier, I deliberately controlled its power to avoid killing anyone. But here… there was no such restraint in the setup.
His eyes narrowed. And yet… no one died? That's… not right.